Title: November Surprise
Author: Laurel Osterkamp
Date Published: 8/2012
Synopsis:
For Lucy Jones, the distinction between love and politics is
hazy at best. Both can be all-consuming, and either can lead to a
heart-breaking loss or an exhilarating win. Whatever the case, if you’re seen
as a loser, you probably are one. Lucy first learns this lesson in 1988, when
she’s a shy girl, battling a high school bully and rooting for Dukakis. Through
the years Lucy will experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as
she makes the choices that define her. Meanwhile, she also struggles to define
her relationship with Monty, who comes in and out of her life like the changes
in public opinion. Is Monty simply a one-night stand, a kindred spirit, or the
love of her life? And by 2008, can he offer her a change to believe in?
Over the course of twenty years and six presidential
elections, Lucy grows and adjusts with the times. Filled with snarky political
and pop-culture references, November
Surprise is about the journey we take to believe in a candidate, in love,
and in ourselves.
November
Surprise is a companion piece to Campaign
Promises, which is free on Amazon. They can be read in either order. Both
have a liberal slant.
Excerpt:
Monty and I have been dancing
together all evening. The slow songs are the best, but we also do the Macarena
and even the Chicken Dance. I can’t stop laughing the entire time I’m quacking
my hands.
Jack and his new wife, Petra, have fed each
other cake. Petra
has thrown her bouquet, and all the toasts have been given. The night is
winding down, and Monty leads me off the dance floor.
“I’m really glad neither of us had
dates,” he says.
“Yeah, me too.” My heart beats just
a little bit faster than normal.
“And I’m sorry about earlier.
Hitting on you like that. It was clumsy. Will you forgive me?” His face is
flushed and his tie is loosened. I’m sure I’ve noticed before how good looking
he is, but this is the first time I’ve let myself appreciate it.
“There’s nothing to forgive.” I
look around, make sure nobody is watching, and then I stand on my tip-toes and
plant a kiss on his cheek. When he doesn’t flinch or pull away, I give him the
barest whisper of a kiss on the lips.
It’s all the encouragement he
needs.
With a conspiratorial smile, he
takes my hand and leads me outside the reception hall. I follow willingly.
When we get to a dark, hidden spot,
he wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me deeply. I can feel it
everywhere, my entire body is tingling, my knees are weak, and I’m sure that at
any moment, my heart will explode.
I don’t want him to stop. But he
does.
“Where are you staying tonight?” he
asks.
“I was going to drive back to my
parents’ house.”
“Hmm…” he leans in and kisses me
some more. I press up against him like I can’t get close enough. He tilts his
head back ever so slightly, so he can talk. “That’s a long drive. Do you want
to stay with me, instead?”
“You have a hotel room?”
“It’s close to the airport,” he
whispers. “I fly back to New York
really early tomorrow.” Then he baby kisses my eyes, nose, and chin.
I don’t answer immediately. I’m
trying to steady my breathing. “So you can make a clean get away?”
“It’s not like that.” he smiles.
“And you haven’t even said yes, yet.”
But he knows I’m going to. “You
can’t ever tell Jack,” I say.
“He just got married, Lucy. Do you
really think he’ll care?”
I rub my hands down his back and
across the taut muscles in his arms. “I never had sex with him, and we dated
for months. If he finds out you and I had a one night stand…”
Monty cuts me off with another
kiss. “I promise I’ll never tell him,” he murmurs, between kisses.
We make out a few seconds more, but
our kissing is interrupted when I’m consumed with a fit of giggles.
“What’s so funny?” Monty asks.
I shake my head. “Sorry. It just
occurred to me. I’m about to do it with the homecoming king.”
Monty chuckles. “Does that turn you
on?”
“Yeah,” I admit. “Kind of. Is that
okay?”
He kisses my neck. I tilt my head
back and sigh in pleasure.
“Are you kidding?” His lips are a
mere centimeter from my skin as he mumbles, and his arms tighten around me even
more. “If I had known, I would have worn my crown.”
Now we’re both laughing.
“You know this isn’t the sort of
thing I usually do…”
He raises his face so he’s looking
me in the eye. “I know,” he says, and he smiles. Crinkles form around his green
eyes, and I feel a moment of panic. There’s no way I’m casual enough to be with
him for just one night.
“Let’s make it special, okay?” He
reaches down and clasps my hand, and I let him lead me somewhere, again. This
time, I follow him to the parking lot. Tonight, I’d follow him anywhere.
My Review:
I was so looking forward to reading November Surprise by Laurel Osterkamp. After reading it, I was not disappointed. Who would have though anyone would write a romance novel from the point of view of a liberal, intelligent, student...from junior high school age up to 37 or 38yrs of age. Quite a clever premise in my opinion. We follow Lucy Jones through several elections...the bumpy road of politics.....sometimes your side wins and sometimes they lose, but politics are never dull and neither is Lucy's life. Lucy grew up in a liberal home with a single parent (mother). She also grew up believing herself to be anything but beautiful; Reggie bullied her all through school, harrassed and demeaned her. But she never believed she was stupid...she knew she was one of the brightest bulbs in the box. She never wanted the spotlight and she had a lot to say about politics. We get to travel through her life, her love life, and major elections with her as she finally comes to grips with her wants and needs in this world. And she applies political principles to her life throughout her journey. This was written as a tender, sometimes humorous, love story. It would be an easy weekend read. I also enjoyed the fact we were allowed to use our imagination for any love scenes! YAY! I gave the book 3 out of 5 winks! !
X 3
Author Bio:
Laurel Osterkamp was a comedy writer in Minneapolis before she began writing novels.
Her first novel, Following My Toes, has been a Kindle best seller and won the 2008
Indie Excellence Award for Chick Lit. Starring in the Movie of My Life received honors
in the 2011 Indie Excellence Awards for Chick Lit, and in the 2011 International Book
Awards for Women's Fiction and Young Adult Lit. Both books are indie approved at
indiereader.com. She currently teaches high school, and is working on her next book,
which is inspired by her recent jury duty.
Her first novel, Following My Toes, has been a Kindle best seller and won the 2008
Indie Excellence Award for Chick Lit. Starring in the Movie of My Life received honors
in the 2011 Indie Excellence Awards for Chick Lit, and in the 2011 International Book
Awards for Women's Fiction and Young Adult Lit. Both books are indie approved at
indiereader.com. She currently teaches high school, and is working on her next book,
which is inspired by her recent jury duty.
*Disclosure
of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a
copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have
been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in
exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with
those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This
disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part
255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
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